Loop Holes
by SongBird10
Summary: "No demigod shall heal your heart." Those were the goddess' words. But they were vague. Was it possible there was a loop hole to Reyna's curse? After all, Venus didn't say anything about mortals. But just when Reyna finally finds a guy to love her back, something pounces into her life that could shatter her hope, and her heart...for the last time. (T cuz violence)
1. Loop Holes

Reyna examined herself in the mirror for what seemed to be the eightieth time in the past five minutes.

It wasn't usual for her to be edgy, but well, every girl is nervous on a first date.

Oh, was that mentioned?

Yes, Reyna was finally going out with someone.

She scanned her reflection for any faults, there was definitely something off, she was sure. It just wasn't the sort of thing she could pin to a wall, or slice open with her dagger.

 _Relax, and act like you would around me._ Hazel had advised.

 _Have a battle strategy. Popcorn maybe? Never fails._ Annabeth had commented with words of wisdom.

 _Try to enjoy yourself._ Piper nodded importantly. _You'll be fine._

 _Just don't piss him off._

Those words made her chuckle.

Okay, okay. So maybe it wasn't the best of ideas to ask the daughter of Zeus for dating advice. Seeing as she was the leader of the Hunt, and that tiny fact that she had never actually dated before.

One, two, three deep breaths. Reyna closed her eyes, attempting to steady her nerves, and her feet.

Like, please. What person in their right mind would ever wear four-inch heels? She could stand on a rocking trireme in full clad battle armor, but she couldn't stand in these stupid dress shoes? Tsk tsk.

Reyna sighed and stumbled out of her room, gripping the hilt of her dagger tightly. She was in New York for the school year; a much needed break from the Legion.

Staying at Camp Half-Blood had been a generous offer that she couldn't refuse, and she had been given a room in the big house. It was nice, but just a bit too comfortable.

Reyna drew another deep breath and marched to the top of the hill. Why could she never keep her thoughts from running each other over?

She rubbed a hand thoughtfully on the trunk of Thalia's tree, finding some foreign comfort in the act. Perhaps it was the Golden Fleece, emitting a soothing aura, or the sure there-ness of Peleus the dragon. She scratched his smooth nose, enjoying his hiss of pleasure.

There was a honk at the bottom of the hill that made Reyna jump, before she realized it was just Argus. He had promised her a car. She was stunned however to find a sleek red convertible awaiting her.

She cocked an eyebrow at him imploringly, as if to say; Really? But he just smiled, so she decided to go with it. She picked her way down the hill, silently cursing her shoes as she went.

When she had seated herself, she wrapped her hands around the wheel. This wasn't exactly like the camp vans, but it wasn't exactly Leo's spaceship either, she could manage.

As if sensing her thoughts, Argus shot her a grin. She made a face at him and gunned the engine, speeding away.

 _How dare he think that?_ Reyna seethed as she glided down the road. She was going on a _date_! And as much as she would love, (cough sarcasm cough) Leyna was just some stupid ship name that the Stolls had come up with to tease her and Leo. More than once, she and Calypso had had a good laugh over it.

 **~line break~**

On account of it being late fall, the sun was already down by the time Reyna pulled into Nitehawk cinema.

She grabbed her purse and got out of the car, making sure to lock it, just in case it belonged to Argus.

Because Nathan was sixteen, and therefor a year older than her, he had offered to drive the both of them. But being the fifteen-year-old-girl-that-has-known-how-to-drive-since-age-twelve that she was, Reyna had politely declined. Besides, where would he even pick her up? Half blood hill? No it was better this way.

When Reyna curled her fingers around the door handle, she felt more than just its cold.

Something wasn't right here.

Something like...

Monsters.

No. Reyna shook her head. It was fine. No monster would dare attack her for fear of getting sent back to Tartarus the hard and painful way. Tonight would be great.

She pulled open the door and stepped inside.

After a quick survey of the embarrassingly large lobby, Reyna's eyes locked onto Nathan. He was leaning against the far wall, fingering his phone absentmindedly.

Reyna felt a tiny stab of guilt. She wished that she could tell him _why_ she never used a phone, but he was a mortal, and she wasn't about to telk him the truth _just_ yet.

She was about to walk over, when he noticed her. His face visibly lit up. He slipped his phone back into its respective pocket and pushed through the crowd until they were side by side.

"Reyna." He grinned. "Ready to enjoy yourself?" She stretched back and laughed.

"More than ready." She smiled, looping her arm through Nathan's.

She was glad that he had dressed casually, the date would have been too fancy if he had shown up in a suit and tie.

They mare their way over to the food bar, still having to push through the crowd.

Upon scanning the menu three times over, Reyna was met with a sudden and glorious realization: junk food. Every last item on that glowing screen was absolute garbage.

She nearly fainted. Never before had she experienced so much joyous freedom! She was about to give up and lead her date away when she remembered Annabeth's advice. _Popcorn maybe? Never fails._

She pretended to keep searching the menu while Nathan rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. She'd never really been proud of them, as they were rough and calloused, mostly from punching the faces of boys who rejected her.

 _Like Percy._ She grimaced inwardly.

 _It's your fault for feeling a false hope._ She chided herself. _You knew better._

But picking at a scab would only make things worse, she knew. Especially when that wound wasn't fully healed yet.

"So what are we getting tigress?" Nathan asked, instantly making her feel guilty. Fortunately, years of practice allowed her to cover it up with ease.

"Ooh, let's stay classic shall we? I like cheddar flavored popcorn." She OFferdd, leaning her head casually on his broad shoulder.

Suddenly Reyna felt a cold tingling sensation at the base of her skull. It was the same one Annabeth had described before Leo *cough* sorry the " _eidolon_ " rained fire and sulfur on New Rome.

She turned to Nathan. "I need to use the restroom - if you don't mind - could you order for the both of us?"

Nathan's face portrayed confusion but he nodded. "Sure, meet me at the gate with The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe thing."

Reyna cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What?" Nathan exclaimed. "It's a sort of remake!"

 _He looks cute when he is nervous._ Reyna thought happily. "Good." She smirked. "The old one wasn't very nice anyway."

Nathan's shoulders visibly slumped in relief.

As soon as she released Nathan's hand, a wave of cold enveloped her. She shivered involuntarily. Reyna ordered herself to snap out of it. No monster or otherwise could, or _would_ attack her, unless they were really stupid of course. She'd met plenty of stupid monsters.

By the time Reyna got to the bathroom, most of the crowd had somewhat dispersed, so it was only her and some other woman with extremely long nails hanging out in there.

Reyna immediately set to work making a rainbow. When she was done, she was soaked and had a bad connection. Not to mention having to keep her hand over the faucet, but somehow she made through.

Annabeth's face appeared instantly. Reyna was so wound up that she almost said something out loud, but then she realized that Percy was there too, and it was definitely a moment that Reyna felt very embarrassed to see.

She disconnected the call before either of them could notice.

Her next thought was to call Piper, but eventually decided against it, she did not need to witness another make out-fest.

Reyna ended up calling Hazel, since she was at Camp Half-Blood helping with the new wing of cabins.

She tossed in two denarii. "Oh Ir-" she stopped and corrected herself. "Oh Fleecy do me a solid. Show me Hazel Levesque at Camp Half-Blood."

Reyna was met with a very odd scene.

"Leo! For the last time! We are not putting the Eos cabin by the Dionysus cabin!" Hazel yelled, waving her arms at some boy who was definitely not Leo.

This guy looked about Percy's age - that is to say, seventeen, with light brown hair, almost bronze-like skin, long muscular legs, and fierce, green cat-eyes that seemed as sharp as Reyna's dagger.

All in all, he bore a striking resemblance of a leopard; lithe, strong, and calculating.

"But Katiya said that-"

Hazel just rolled her eyes. "I don't _care_ what Katiya said, she's not in charge here and she can't threaten me anyway. Her powers don't extend to demigods."

Leo made a face like he disagreed. "You wouldn't know that. She hasn't tried simply because she respects you."

Reyna felt hopelessly confused but as much as she could figure, Leo was a son of Dionysus, which would explain the leopard-ish look. He had some friend who was a child of Eos and wanted their cabins next to each other.

Reyna decided to roll with it.

She cleared her throat, making Hazel whirl around. "Reyna!" Her friend grinned, waving Leo away, which he didn't look happy about. "How's it going so far?"

Reyna managed a smile. "It's fine I suppose, though I can't shake a really horrible feeling. Something bad is going to happen."

Hazel cocked an eyebrow imploringly. Reyna drew a deep breath and held it. What did she feel was going to happen?

She closed her eyes. Ever since she'd been blessed by Athena and Bellona, her senses seemed more keen to what attacks would happen, and where. All she needed was a little hint.

Reyna had called Hazel for reassurance and knowledgeable suggestions, but she had to find those on her own.

Suddenly, something clicked in Her head: _Dionysus is the god of leopards._

"Cats!" She blurted. Hazel looked horribly confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Some sort of feline." Reyna muttered, feeling embarrassed.

Hazel frowned. "Um, okay. Just take it easy. The only time that anything might come would be either during, or after the movie." She paused, smiling.

"Reyna, let's not get worked up. You're the best swordswoman out of both camps, besides maybe Annabeth." She laughed. "Don't worry, you'll survive the night."

Reyna thanked Hazel for talking and excused herself. The woman wit's the freakishly long nails had left, and she should too.

The movie would start in five minutes.

The way was easy to find but hard to get to, so Reyna let herself think of what Hazel said.

 _You'll survive the night._

 _That's fine._ Reyna thought. _Nobody can turn down the confidence of one's capability to stay alive._

 _So I'll survive the night._

 _But what about everyone around me?_

Reyna wanted to bang her head against a wall. She needed to stop thinking so negatively. What Hazel had said was true: she had nothing to worry about, and she _was_ an incredible swordswoman.

With these reassurances in mind, Reyna was able to walk a little faster and soon arrived to her destination.

Nathan was standing outside the gate, holding their food and looking worried.

When he saw her, he grinned.

"I thought you were dead." He joked. Reyna took a moment to savor the irony.

He reached over and took her hand. "C'mon," he gestured toward doorway. "The previews have started."

Reyna followed him inside and immediately fell in love with the place.

To begin with, the walls were nice and open and there was plenty of space for free movement.

The screen was exceptionally high, and perfectly wide; easy to see no matter where you were sitting.

And the chairs! The seats were perfect. They bore heavy resemblance to la-z boy recliners and were not to mention super comfy.

They picked a spot in the rear and sat back to watch the movie.

"You may not believe it, but there's more than one world." Lucy began.

Reyna wanted to tell the actress how much she was right.

"A world full of secrets, and magic and battles."

The whole introduction followed suit. Reyna wondered if the director was a demigod.

Towards the middle of the movie, there was plenty of gore, much to Reyna's surprise. Although it was fairly awkward to see how bad of sword fighters most of the actors were, especially when she knew exactly what was being done wrong.

They were about halfway through the movie when everything fell apart. Aslan had made his first appearance, popping onto the screen with a mighty roar. Only, the sound didn't _just_ come from the speakers. It seemed to resonate throughout the room, like an echo off a canyon wall. Something was wrong.

Reyna was instantly on her feet and reaching for her dagger. Her gut twisted into a knot. Another roar resounded, much louder, and much closer this time. It definitely _hadn't_ been from the speakers.

Nathan stood up. "What's going on?" He demanded.

Reyna turned to him. "Nathan, you need to get out of here! It's not-!" There was a sound like a huge curtain being torn in half, because well, that's exactly what it was.

Reyna cursed heavily in Latin. She should've known this would happen!

A kid in the front row squealed in excitement. "Kitty!"

The blood drained from Reyna's face. Slowly, she turned around. What she saw was definitely not a kitty. Instead, was a glittering golden lion, the size of a garbage truck.

It had no mane, and its golden eyes were sparkling with absolute hatred. Reyna knew this monster well, even if she had never herself encountered it.

She grabbed Nathan's hand, looking him straight in the eye. "Get everyone out of here. I don't want them to get hurt."

Before he could say anything, she turned around, brandishing her dagger. The twelve inches of deadly imperial gold glinting faintly in the studio lights.

"Hello kitten!" She taunted. "I thought Percy already killed you!"

The Nemean lion roared in outrage, as if an ice cream sandwich were still being forced down his throat.

It leaped at Reyna, five tons of pure muscle and fang. She easily sidestepped, bringing her dagger up at its eye.

It twisted in the air, landing in the aisle. It's teeth were dripping saliva - a nasty side effect, since Reyna had a high chance of slipping on it.

She vaulted over two rows of seats, hoping to draw the creature's attention from the line of screaming mortals tripping over themselves to get out.

The lion jumped after Reyna - onto the seats - which wobbled a little. As it sprang at her, she somersaulted over its head, bringing her heels down on its shoulders with a satisfying crack.

The monster howled in pain, leaping straight up. Reyna backflipped, twisting in midair, landing so that she straddled the lion's neck.

She had to stop herself before she drove her dagger into the creature's skull. Having studied hard in her monster-defense classes, she knew very well the blade would just bounce harmlessly off the lion's glittery coat. Instead, Reyna sheathed her weapon and took to burying her hands in the course golden fur of the monster's neck, holding on for dear life as the creature bucked and jumped, trying to throw her.

Through the twisting and bouncing, Reyna could see Nathan standing by the exit. His eyes and mouth were open wide, and he was staring at her in fear.

Reyna gritted her teeth so as not to bite her tongue. "Nathan!" She hissed. "Get out!"

The lion panted, slightly worn from its fruitless exercise. Suddenly it kneeled, as if to let her down. Feeling the tension in its forelegs, Reyna dove off the beast a second before it rolled onto its back.

She barely escaped crashing into another row of seats, but jumped to her feet in an instant.

While the monster recovered itself, Reyna quickly assessed a plan in her head.

She couldn't kill the monster using shear force, because it's coat would protect it from blades, bullets, even falling pianos, if it came to that. She would need to aim for the eyes and mouth if she wanted to make use of her dagger - since it was obviously too big this time around to strangle, as Hercules had done.

Suddenly, Nathan's panicked voice wrenched her from her musings. "Reyna, look out!"

Instinct shoved her aside, barely allowing her to dodge the lion as it pounced on the place she had been seconds before.

The lion hissed and shook its head free of the chairs it had destroyed. In moments, its gaze was fixated on her, and an intense stare-down ensued. The lion's golden eyes danced fiercely, hungry for demigod.

Slowly, Reyna's hand inched its way to her dagger. She watched amused as the monster's gaze followed her hand, till it rested on the hilt of her weapon. When her fingers stopped moving, the lion snarled - a deep and guttural sound. He sprang at her, fangs and claws bared.

Reyna continued to stand there, waiting. One second, then two.

A triumphant look sparked in the beast's eyes, as it descended upon her.

Reyna finally moved. She crouched and took a small leap forward, out of reach of the monster's teeth and claws. Now she was under the lion, and she had a full view of its vulnerable underbelly. The fur here was less than thick, and in some spots, Reyna could even see the creature's tender, pink skin.

It was one of these places in which the Roman thrust her dagger. There was still some considerable friction as blade met flesh, but Reyna was not disappointed with the howl of pain the beast emitted.

The praetor rolled aside before the creature hit the ground, quickly jumping to her feet. She found herself not far from where Nathan was still standing, with a ridiculous expression.

Reyna scowled at him. She flipped her braid over her shoulder. "I told you to leave!" Reyna was not accustomed to being disobeyed. "It isn't safe here."

Nathan swallowed nervously, from her glare or the situation on hand, Reyna couldn't be sure. "I...I got that much." He rubbed the back off his neck. "I didn't know what to do, I couldn't just leave you here with that...that thing."

Reyna bit back a smile. How adorable that he cared so much. "Look, I appreciate your-"

Suddenly, Nathan's eyes widened in fear. "Reyna get down!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Reyna saw a blur of gold. General rule of demigodly thumb: never turn your back to a monster until you know it's dead. Reyna had just violated this rule. The praetor barely had time to curse herself, before a great force crashed into her, sending her sprawling.

The next thing Reyna heard was the scream. It was the kind of sound that had only ever been described to her in words, the kind of sound that tortured souls in Hades' underwear made (ignore the fact that the souls in Hades' underwear are silent). And it was coming from Nathan.

Reyna's head whipped around, causing her to witness a scene she wished she hadn't. The claws of the Nemean lion tore into Nathan's body as he cried out in pain, carving out deep, red rivers that began to flow freely. Reyna's eyes widened in realization.

 _He took the hit for me._ She thought in awe. The sight of Nathan's bloodied form suddenly filled Reyna with unspeakable fury.

Her eyes full of mercilessness, she turned her gaze of rage to the lion. With one look she threw at him every profanity she would never have the time to say.

"You." She snarled. "You've just made a big. mistake."

She glared at the monster with such a look of murderous hatred, that it actually stumbled back in fear.

Reyna grabbed a seat that had been marred in the process of the fight and hefted it like a club. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Coach Hedge's voice sounded in her head.

 _That's it cupcake! Smack the snot outta him!_

Reyna charged the lion, using her momentum to vault off a chair. The lion tried to swat her out of the air, managing to carve a long gash down her leg. Reyna barely noticed. Instead, she swung herself around and rammed the chair into the surprised monster's nose. The force of the impact splintered the already ruined seat, and made Reyna lose her balance, falling to the ground in a roll away from the beast.

The lion yowled, falling to its stomach and rolling around in pain, paws clutched to its muzzle. Taking no notice of the blood gushing from her leg, Reyna grabbed another chair and stormed over to the lion.

It barely had time to glance up at her, before she rammed the chair back into it's snout for the second time. The disfigured angle at which the cat's nose was bent told Reyna that she had driven the bones of his nose back into his skull, thus piercing his brain and killing him.

Reyna watched exhausted, as the lion's carcass shrank into a glistening golden fur pelt, which then turned into an expensive looking fur coat. She stared at it incredulously, unable to believe what she had just accomplished with a theater chair.

A weak moan drew Reyna from her thoughts. Whirling around, she ran to where Nathan lay shivering on the ground. By some miracle, he seemed to be holding out, which was startling, since some of his wounds went down to the bone. Though despite this good news, he was fading quickly.

Reyna knelt and pulled his head into her lap, trying to wipe some of the blood off his forehead. Slowly, his eyes blinked open.

"Reyna…" He coughed. "Some...date, huh?"

She glared at him. "Now isn't the time for jokes!" She reached over and grabbed the lion's fur. She had to stop the bleeding somehow. "Hold still."

Reyna wrestled the tattered remains of Nathan's sweater over his head, slipping his arms into the thick sleeves of the coat. Nathan winced slightly, obviously pained by the movement.

For a moment, Reyna paused. "You can't walk." She said, more to herself than him. She would have to get him help, and fast. A mortal hospital simply would not be sufficient to care for his injuries.

"I'm carrying you." Reyna muttered. She scooped Nathan up and threw him over her shoulder, for a moment shocked at how frighteningly light he was. Deciding to deal with his blood loss later, she turned, and ran for the exit.

 **~line break~**

Reyna came to a screeching halt at the foot of Half-Blood Hill. As quickly as her hands would allow, she popped Nathan's seat belt and hauled him out of the car.

At the top of the hill, Reyna could see the big house a short distance away. She just needed to get there, then Nathan might have a fighting chance. Already she could feel him slipping away, as his skin became paler, and heartbeat weaker, by the second. Blood was leaking through the coat.

Upon giving Nathan permission to enter camp, Reyna sprinted down the hill, marveling at how well she could keep her feet balanced when someone's life was on the line.

She dashed up the steps of the big house, grabbing the first person she met. "Nico!" Reyna hissed. The son of Hades whirled around in surprise, fear instantly evident in his expression when he saw the fierce expression on her face. He opened his mouth to say something, but Reyna cut him off.

"Where's Will?" She demanded. "I need him S.T.A.T.!" Nico's eyes darted to the teen in her arms, a questioning look replacing the one of fear. He pointed to the fur coat.

"Wait...is that-"

"NICO!"

The younger boy stumbled over himself to get away from her, turning and racing across the green. "I'm going, I'm going!"

To await the son of Apollo, Reyna slumped down on a bench and tried to position herself in a way that wouldn't put Nathan in pain. His face looked unnervingly peaceful, and his eyes were closed, leaving Reyna to worry that she was too late.

The roman chewed her lip nervously, a habit she had picked up from Annabeth. She knew it was her fault what had happened to Nathan. If she had been more careful, there would have been no need for him to shove her out of the way. He wouldn't have gotten hurt.

The clatter of boots on wood made Reyna look up. She realized with a start that she had been crying. Hastily, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood.

Will frowned at Nathan, clearly worried. He gestured for Reyna to go inside, and she followed him as he led the way to the infirmary.

The instant she set Nathan down on the cot, Nico ushered her out of the room. With casualties as serious as these, it was best that Will had as few distractions as possible.

Reyna's last image of the room, was Nathan's bloody, ailing body, sprawled across the mattress, and she wondered with a shattered heart if that would be the last time she saw him alive.

 **~line break~**

Reyna's anxiety only peaked when Will opened the door. He looked fatigued, and had dark circles under his eyes. His shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

Reyna doubted she looked any better. She had been up all night pacing the hallway, unable to sleep knowing that Nathan was fighting for his life under the same roof. She was genuinely surprised that she hadn't worn a hole in the floor.

Will shook his head in amazement. "I don't know who he is, but that kid is as strong as they come." He offered Reyna a smile. "For a mortal."

Reyna felt herself let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. "He's alright then?"

Will raised his eyebrows incredulously. "Up and talking."

Reyna grinned. "Thanks to you."

"Ah don't mention it."

After a moment of indecision, Reyna leaned over and wrapped her arms around the medic in a tight hug. She was just as surprised as him, as she would never be caught dead hugging anyone other than Nico, but there were no words to describe the sheer gratitude she felt.

"Too bad." she whispered into his shoulder. "I don't know what I would do if he hadn't survived the attack. Thanks to you, he did."

No sooner had she said this, than she felt Will hug her back. "I...you're welcome, Reyna. I know how much he means to you."

Reyna pulled away, a smile on her face. "Can I see him?" she asked.

Will nodded. "Yeah go ahead. Just don't make him too excited, I'd like to keep him healing at a relatively easy pace, and too much exhilaration might hurt him."

Reyna rolled her eyes. "I know, I know."

Will smiled. "Well, take care Reyna. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

She nodded in response, suddenly anxious to see Nathan. The moment Will left, she took a shaky breath and pushed open the door.

Inside, the room was a decorative robin-egg green and dotted with a few posters here and there. It was something Reyna hadn't taken into account before.

Nathan was dozing softly in his bed and a hospital gown, but on the sound of her approach, his eyes fluttered open. He gave a wide yawn, that reminded Reyna disturbingly of a lazed "king of the jungle".

Cautiously, she took the seat next to him, taking his hand.

He smiled at her sheepishly. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Thanks for um...saving my life and stuff. I really appreciate that."

Reyna gave a weary smile, too tired to retaliate. "Of course." She whispered. "I was not about to give up on you."

Nathan smiled back, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Well thanks for not giving up on me."

There was a moment of comfortable silence, where a calm atmosphere wrapped around them. It was quiet and peaceful.

Well, it was peaceful until Nathan saw her leg.

"Reyna!" He exclaimed. "What happened?"

Reyna tried to shrug it off. "The lion scratched me. It's nothing."

Nathan started at her bloody calf. She hadn't had the time or the effort to clean up since the fight.

"That does not look like a scratch."

Reyna squeezed his hand. "Nathan really, I'll be fine. I've had worse."

Nathan's eyes widened. "Worse? You've had worse?"

Reyna looked away. "Yes. This...this happens all the time." Reyna winced when she realized that was true.

Nathan scowled. "But you're hurt!"

Reyna fought back a smile. "I'm fine." She repeated. "I'm more worried about you. It's shocking you survived."

Nathan got silent. "A-about that. I...that lion...that was real right?"

Reyna was unsure how to answer. After all, Nathan was a mortal. It was a debate how much she should tell him. Finally, she gave in.

"Yes. It was real."

For a moment, Nathan just stared at her. Then he shook his head. "It was huge. I can't believe...you killed it on your own. That thing was the size of a truck."

Reyna smiled softly. "Recliner chairs have many uses."

Nathan scowled, like he couldn't believe his ears. "But no lion is that big. It just isn't possible. What was that thing?"

Reyna worried her lip. If she told him the truth, there was a chance he wouldn't believe her. A chance he would leave like all the others had. But he deserved to know. Not telling him would be no different than lying. And she was so tired of lying.

"A monster." She answered. "It was a Greek monster."

"What?"

"That was the Nemean lion, from Greek mythology."

Nathan eyed her skeptically, and she didn't blame him. She probably appeared to be hysterical - in shock. After all, she'd just told him something impossible. Something that didn't make sense.

"What do you mean?"

Reyna felt a little surprised by his curiosity. He seemed like he genuinely wanted to hear more about his world being turned upside down. So she continued to explain.

"What I'm saying, is that all the Greek myths, all the gods, all the monsters, they're not myths. They're real."

She waited for him to ridicule, to tell her she was wrong. But he didn't. He stayed silent.

"Sometimes, the gods...they have children with mortals, or humans. Their children are called half-bloods - demigods. I...I'm a demigod. My mother is Bellona, the Roman goddess of war."

Reyna took a shaky breath, trying to calm herself. She was very aware of the fact that Nathan's hand was still clasped in her's. He hadn't let go.

And then, she let her words run free. She retold her entire life story, from killing her own father, to getting kidnapped by pirates, to becoming Praetor, and everything in between.

It felt like the Tiber had been collecting behind a dam, and when the dam broke, all the water came rushing lose, relieving the pressure, making everything as it should be.

She had to admit, Nathan was a good listener. Not once did he interrupt or cut her off, he just let her talk. He just sat there and watched her, listened to her, got lost in the story.

Every now and then, she'd steal a glimpse of him, to see what he was thinking. Occasionally, his face would twist into a scowl, like when he heard about her journey across the Atlantic. Other times, he would grin and choke back a laugh, like when he heard about the "accident" on her fourth birthday. But most of the time, his expression was hard to read, and he just sat there, hanging on her words.

By the time she was finished, Reyna was thoroughly exhausted, and her mouth was dry. She wasn't looking at Nathan. Her eyes were fixated, instead on the floor. She was afraid that even after three hours of talking, he would still reject her. That he would still write her off as crazy, or insane. It hurt too much to hope otherwise. Reyna had seen firsthand what happened when you had false hope; it tore you apart.

Nathan was quiet for so long, she thought he'd fallen asleep, but then he finally spoke to her.

"Well…" his expression turned sheepish, and Reyna could see him turning everything over in his mind, debating what to say. Reyna's heart sank. He didn't know what to tell her. Didn't know how to tell her.

She stared at their hands, still intertwined. Why hadn't he let go yet?

Finally, he cleared his throat.

"If I'm going to date you, I guess I better take fighting lessons."

 **A/N:**

 **Well, there you go! I hope you thought this was just as adorable as I did, and please, no ridicule about how you ship Reyna with someone else or if she should stay single. My friend just gave me this cute idea of Reyna falling in love with a mortal, and I decided to write a one-shot about it (thanks April!).**

 **Also, if you didn't notice, I used one of my fav. OCs! LEO HANSEN. You might never see him again, but I just felt like adding him in there ;)**

 **Sorry for the slow update on the Little Merman doc, but I promise you I'm working on it. I've just been really busy these past few weeks, not to mention me scrambling to finish _this_ fic, but please do have some patience. I'll get to you as soon as I can.**

 **Love you guys so so much! R &R.**

 **-Amy**


	2. A Chance Run-in

**~for strawberrygirl2000, this is a story of how Reyna and Nathan met. Includes full descriptive appearance of Nathan in Reyna's pov. Enjoy ;)~**

Reyna shouldered her backpack, feeling very self-conscious in the t-shirt and sweats Piper had _insisted_ she wear, but she felt ridiculous, since the sleeves totally showed off her hard biceps. By Piper's logic, the appearance would keep away any unwanted attention. She was wrong.

Reyna had barely stepped through the doors of Goode High, when a swarm of plasticky girls surrounded her. Well, they couldn't have cared less about Reyna, they were more fixated on Percy.

Said demigod tensed as a thousand and one brats shoved Reyna and Annabeth to the outside of the mob and assaulted Percy with worship any other high school boy would have preened over.

Reyna resisted the urge to smirk as the flurry of dolls swept him away, Annabeth in hot pursuit.

Reyna was about to turn and head to class when a snide voice made her stop.

"You don't look very surprised by _that_ daily ritual."

Reyna turned around. "Excuse me?"

She found herself facing the dolliest of dolls she'd ever met, and she'd met some pretty dolled up dolls. The girl looked like a Barbie, with perfect, straight brown hair, sharp, plucked eyebrows, and about twenty thousand pounds of makeup.

She rolled her perfectly lined eyes. "Ugh, excuse you indeed. I mean, you _are_ the new girl but seriously, who _isn't_ fawning over heart-throb Percy Jackson on the first day?" Her cronies all made dramatic sighs.

Barbie of course, had a point there, but Reyna was not about to admit that.

The demigod cocked an eyebrow. "One who would rather a friend than a few scars."

It took Barbie a moment to realize that Reyna was referring to Annabeth.

"Oh you mean Percy's acclaimed girlfriend?" She gave another eye roll. "Please, you can't _seriously_ think she's a threat. One of these days, Percy is going to see sense and ditch that _dumb blonde_." Barbie gave Reyna a disgusted look. "And don't even think about getting close to him, Latina, he's mine. Though of course, I suppose I have nothing to worry about. I mean, look at what you're wearing!"

Her snarky laugh was cut short when Reyna lunged at her, pinning the girl to the wall. Barbie shrieked, trying in vain to shove Reyna's arm away from her throat.

"Say that again." Reyna snarled. "I dare you." Barbie uttered a terrified squeak.

Reyna typically didn't care about what she wore, but this girl was just begging to be pummeled senseless. She was arrogant, and stubborn, and undeniably prideful, and it had been a while since Reyna had punched someone in the face.

"Woah. What's going on _here_?"

Reyna turned and found herself staring into a pair of the richest pair of brown eyes she had ever seen.

The boy before her looked about sixteen, with broad shoulders and an athletic build. He was tall - around six feet - with messy brown hair the color of chocolate. His skin was tanned like celestial bronze, and his handsome features were perfectly chiseled.

In short, he was the cutest boy Reyna had ever seen.

"Oh Nathan!" Barbie cried. "Thank goodness you're here! This little witch just attacked me–"

"With good reason." Reyna grumbled.

"And all I did was give her some fashion advice!" Barbie fake-sobbed. "She's so mean!"

Nathan raised an eyebrow at Reyna. There was a slight twitch to his lips.

Was he seriously angry with her? Was he really that shallow?

Disgusted, Reyna shoved Barbie away and stormed down the hall, brushing by Nathan as she passed. Behind her, Reyna could hear Barbie exclaim in mock-relief; "Oh thank you Nathan! You're the best boyfriend ever!" He made a muted response, but Reyna couldn't make out the words through the ringing in her ears.

It was going to be a long nine months.

Suddenly, Reyna heard footsteps behind her. "Hey, wait up!"

Reyna scowled and walked faster. The nerve of that boy, coming after her.

"Wait! Please, I didn't mean–" Reyna whirled around. "What do you want?" She snapped. Nathan's eyes widened and he held up his hands, taking a step back.

"Woah, sorry. I didn't mean to…" He cleared his throat. "Why did you run off like that?"

Reyna scoffed and turned around to continue walking. "Why do you think?" She couldn't see his face, but if she had to guess, she would have assumed he'd taken on an affronted look. He struck her as that kind of person.

"I don't know." He said after a pause. "Was it something I did?"

Reyna avoided the question, instead saying, "You looked ready to defend her. If I'm honest, she'd have deserved a punch in the face, and if you were going to stop me, I didn't want to be there anymore."

Nathan sputtered. "Defend who? Rebecca?" He asked, sounding aghast. "Why on earth would I do that?"

Reyna was a little confused now. "She called you her boyfriend."

It was Nathan's turn to scoff. "She wishes. Only someone as shallow as herself would want to be her boyfriend. Trust me, if we were dating, i wouldn't catch a wink of sleep for all the nightmares."

Despite herself, Reyna laughed. "That's true. And she does seem to have an additional crush on Percy Jackson."

Nathan was now walking side by side with her. He rolled his eyes, giving a very dignified snort. "Of course she does. _Everyone_ has a crush on Percy Jackson. I don't even understand why I'm surprised you know him."

If Reyna had known him better, she might've detected a hint of bitterness in his tone. SHe shook her head. "I've only known Percy for a few months. He's more a brother than anything."

Nathan raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really."

Nathan cocked his head, curiosity dancing in his warm, brown eyes. "I'm being rude." He held out his hand. "I'm Nathan Lav. Welcome to Goode High, uh…"

"Reyna." She clasped his hand smiled. "Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano."

 **A/N:**

 **Well, there you go! Might not have been as long as you guys hoped, but that's just how Reyna and Nathan met ^^. Personally, I think their interaction is adorable, and I'm still laughing at Rebecca's reference to 'dumb blonde' XD. If Annabeth were there she would have broken the girl's nose! Hope you enjoyed! R &R**

 **-Amy**


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